ning, and gives also a
"set," as it were, to the skin. The fins and tail must not, however,
be allowed to dry until the fish is finished. To avoid this and the
consequent splitting of these members, keep them constantly damped by
wet cloths or tow wrapped around them.

Lay the worst side uppermost, and then cut the skin from head to tail
in a straight line. A mark called the subdorsal or lateral line is an
excellent guide for this. With a strong pair of scissors,--or rather
shears, cut through the scapular arch (the large bone beneath the
gills--see Fig. 34, A). Slip the knife under the edges of the cut
skin, and lift the skin the whole of the way up at about an inch in on
both sides of the cut. Having carefully separated this from the flesh,
take the broad knife in your hand, and, holding the skin lightly in
the middle, with a scraping motion of the knife on the skin free it
from the flesh. If the knife is held in a proper manner, slanting
inward towards you, this will be done very easily. Take care, however,
when approaching the fins not to cut outward too much, or you will rip
them out of the skin. Fig. 34 shows the point where we have arrived, B
being the loosened skin and C the flesh denuded of that skin.

Fig. 34--Diagram of pike, showing skin removed on one side from lower
half of body.

Skin out the remaining part up to the back, holding the knife in the
same manner; the fish is now half way skinned, and holding only by the
fins. Slip the scissors carefully underneath the bones of each fin and
cut them away from the inside. Do not be afraid of leaving a little
flesh attached, as this can be easily cut away from the inter-spinous
bones afterwards, it being better to have too much flesh attached to
them than to find you have cut the skin through on the other side. It
is a matter of little importance as to which fin you cut away first;
but let me assume that you begin at the under anal fin, and, having
cut this away carefully, you now find that it is still held at a
little distance above it by. the orifice of the vent. A great deal of
care is required here to cut the attachment away so as not to pierce
through to the outside; a piece of wool comes in very handily to push
in, to stop the flow of blood, etc.

Now turn your attention to the only fin on a pike's back, the second
or lower dorsal one, which cut away in the same careful manner as
before. Working down toward the tail, get the broad knife as much
under